Darcy laughed cynically.“He was even worse!Miss Bennet was seated on his left and he did not speak a word to her the entire evening.”
“Truly?”
“Not one word.”
“They ate in silence?”
“Through seven courses.”
Fitzwilliam grimaced.“Miss Bennet must be terribly offended.”
“I am sure she would be if she thought about herself at all, but I am afraid she is the kind to take things too much on herself.She will be upset she did not manage the situation better.”
“I cannot imagine what that’s like,” said Fitzwilliam with a pointed look to his cousin.
“I am not like Miss Bennet!”
“Not at first glance, I grant you, but you must admit there are similarities.”
Darcy looked at him skeptically.“How so?”
“You are both reserved and prefer to keep your feelings to yourself.You both prefer to listen rather than speak, and you both rely on your more verbose relations in social situations.You take responsibility for things no other person would dream of claiming, and you are both drawn to lively, cheerful personalities.Need I go on?”
Darcy sat staring at his cousin, shock all over his face.Was he truly so much like Miss Bennet?It would certainly explain why Elizabeth seemed to understand him so well, and why Bingley felt so comfortable with Miss Bennet, but it painted him in a less favorable light.If Miss Bennet was as reserved as he himself was, she would feel more than she showed.Significantly more.Which meant that when he separated Bingley from her, he had broken her heart.Aghast, he looked up into the shrewd eyes of his cousin.
“Stop right there, Darcy.I can see you taking on more responsibility as you sit there.”
Darcy glared at him.“I am doing no such thing.”
“No?You are not heaping an extra helping of blame on yourself for your role in separating Bingley from Miss Jane Bennet?”
Darcy opened his mouth, then closed it with a snap.
“I thought so.”
“How do you know so much about Miss Bennet, anyhow?You only met her two days ago.”
“Miss Elizabeth told me.”
Darcy’s eyes widened at this.
“And if you ever listened to Bingley when he is waxing on about his angel instead of composing letters in your mind, you would know a great deal more about the lady.”
Darcy looked away and exhaled heavily.His cousin was right, but he did not have to like it.
“Come now, do not sulk,” chided Fitzwilliam.
“I am not sulking.”
“Of course not.You are merely sitting sullenly in your banyan, drinking brandy, and staring into the fire.”
Darcy glared at him.“You were not there, Fitz.You did not see how awful it was.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam softened his voice and looked at his cousin with compassion.“What shall you do to remedy the situation?”
“For starters, I will apologize to the ladies.Aunt was terribly rude to Mrs.Gardiner on top of the inquisition she levelled at Elizabeth.”
Fitzwilliam shook his head.“Did no one acquit themselves well?”
